There is an urgent and ever increasing need for biobased and biodegradable packaging materials that do not accumulate in nature. A recently developed concept entailing the production of transparent paper/plastic-like sheet materials from side-streams of edible mushroom cultivation fulfils this need. The sheets are fully biobased, biodegradable, and potentially edible. The developed process is mild, scalable, and based on fungal constituents and water only, resembling paper making. Furthermore, prototypes achieved high quality attributes such as transparency and oxygen barrier properties. Therefore, widespread application as packaging or coating material in the food, home- and personal care, paper and textile industries is foreseen. Having the concept demonstrated at TRL 3 now calls for the actual demonstration of a proof-of-concept, next to the optimization of process and product properties. Within the Sheetake project, an iterative feedstock-process-product optimization approach will be taken, paying special attention to desired product properties driven by market needs.
The fungal sheet prototype is developed from the Oyster mushroom in a water dispersion-based process, and hence that combination will be used as starting point for further optimizing the process, tailoring the product properties and bringing the technology closer to industrial implementation.
Therefore, currently available Oyster mushroom side-streams and Oyster mushrooms, cultivated on heterogeneous lignocellulosic side-streams for this particular purpose, will be considered. Sheets will be produced from said fungal feedstocks under various process conditions and characterized in terms of chemical composition and product features such as water and oil resistance, and barrier and mechanical properties.
Promising fungus-process combinations will be upscaled and materials produced tested in actual applications by
the consortium partners along the value-chain. The concept strongly adheres to circular-by-design premises and
techno-economic aspects will play a crucial role in the development trajectory.
Given the above, Sheetake is at the heart of the KIA objectives outlined in mission 2 Sustainable agriculture and
horticulture and specifically matches well with the subprograms 2E.2 sustainable utilization of side-streams and
2E.3 production of regional sustainable biobased feedstocks for chemicals and materials.

The objective of the Sheetake project is to demonstrate an actual proof-of-concept of fungal-based packaging
material through optimization of the initially developed process and accordingly of the product properties.

The intended Sheetake project will contribute to mission 2. Sustainable agriculture and horticulture and more specifically to the program 2E Circularity, production and use of sustainable resources. Given the aim of Sheetake to produce fully biobased, biodegradable functional packaging materials from nothing else than side streams of edible mushrooms, locally grown in The Netherlands, and water, the project will contribute to replacing fossil-based resources in the material sector, development of total-use concepts, exploration of new bioresources and enhancing the connection of food and non-food value chains. The Sheetake project therefore closely fits to the KIA objectives and in fact breathes the aims and targets of subprograms 2E.2 sustainable utilization of side-streams and 2E.3 production of regional sustainable biobased feedstocks for materials and chemicals.
Since side-streams considered within Sheetake originate from food production, the project is also close at heart with mission 4F Multipurpose valorization from agrifood to food and non-food and specifically to 4F.3 from bioresource to biobased product. The fungal materials produced will significantly contribute to replacing fossil based resources, while setting up new value chains for producing high-value applications and outlets and closely adhering to inherent biodegradability and circular-by-design principles.

CNC Holding B.V. is a Dutch group of companies specialized in the production of growth substrate for edible mushrooms and one of the key players in that domain worldwide. The company is Europe’s largest producer of compost for white-button mushroom production (CNC Grondstoffen) and that of specialty mushrooms like e.g. shiitake (CNC Exotic Mushrooms). The recent incorporation of Veme Specials BV, Verbruggen Substraat BV and Verbruggen Paddestoelen BV further strengthened CNC’s position in growing substrate and oyster mushrooms. CNC Holding is particularly interested to supply sustainable resources for the production of biobased and biodegradable plastic-like materials from their side-streams and mushrooms cultivated for a dedicated materials purpose.

Notpla is an England based developer and producer of biobased, plastic-free packaging materials with applications in the food and home- and personal care domains. Driven by innovation, Notpla is keen to evaluate new biobased packaging concepts beyond their current seaweed-based portfolio. Notpla is interested to explore fungal-based materials in combination with their current material portfolio and/or as an expansion thereof to add novel functionality that will unlock new packaging applications to replace single-use plastic.

Several other companies across the value-chain have expressed interest in the Sheetake concept and project. These companies ranged from mushroom feedstock provides, to packaging materials producers up to end-users of the final packaging products. Despite serious interest in the Sheetake concept and technology, said parties could not commit to the project at this stage given the early developmental stage. With CNC and Notpla strongly committed, it was decided to focus on achieving a scalable proof-of-concept and bringing the technology to the next level for convincing the packaging industry to join and develop specific applications.